Why Lady Gaga's A Star Is Born Might Be An Oscar Contender

Lady Gaga has already made some acting appearance in varied projects, including American Horror Story: Hotel and Machete Kills, but her latest venture will take her into remake territory. She's set to lead the flick A Star Is Born, a movie that has already been buzzy thanks to Lady Gaga's very different look in an early still from the flick, but now Warner Bros. seems to be hoping for buzz of a different kind: Awards buzz, to be exact.

This week, the studio opted to shift A Star is Born from a May 18 release date to a release date later in the year. The movie will now hit theaters on October 5, 2018, a time of year when names and movie titles start popping up as potential awards contenders. THR notes that the decision came after people at the studio saw a cut of A Star is Born. It should also be noted that May is typically a time for early big budget summer movies, including stuff from Marvel; both Avengers: Infinity War and Solo: A Star Wars Story drop in May this coming year. So, if A Star is Born can compete during awards season, that might be a better fit than trying to stand out in May, although October will also feature the release of Venom.

It's not impossible for a movie to come out during the first part of a year and still get awards buzz. However, the generally accepted thought seems to be that the later in the year a movie is released the more memorable it will be when voters start casting their ballots for stuff like the Golden Globes and the Oscars, etc. That's why we have a ton of critics hopefuls hitting theaters recently and again over the next few days including but not limited to The Shape of Water, Downsizing, The Post and Molly's Game. Next year, Warner Bros. seems to be hoping A Star is Born will be on the list, as well.

A Star is Born is a remake of a remake of a remake of a remake. The first movie came out in 1937. The movie was then adapted again in 1954, this time starring Judy Garland and James Mason. In 1976, we got a remake starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. Nearly 40 years later, we're getting the version starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Bradley Cooper also directed the flick, which will mark his directorial debut.

Up until recently, I was hoping we might start to get more regular footage from A Star is Born. However, with the date change it could still be a while before we see a trailer from the new movie. We'll let you know as soon as it happens, and in the meantime you can see what else is coming in 2018 with our full guide to upcoming movies.